macOS · Privacy & Security
Manage Individual App Permissions on Mac
Beyond camera and microphone, macOS tracks separate permissions for things like Full Disk Access, Files & Folders, Automation, Accessibility, and Local Network — each controlling exactly what a specific app is allowed to see or control on your Mac.
How to open App Permissions
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Scroll to the specific category you want to review — Full Disk Access, Automation, Accessibility, or Local Network.
- Toggle access on or off for each listed app.
- Restart the app (or your Mac, for Full Disk Access) if a permission change doesn't seem to take effect immediately.
What you should know
- Full Disk Access lets an app read protected system locations, like Mail data or Time Machine backups, and is only needed by a small set of trusted utilities.
- Automation permissions control whether one app is allowed to send commands to another, such as a script controlling Music or Finder.
- Accessibility permission lets an app observe or control your Mac (clicks, keystrokes) on your behalf, needed by tools like window managers or remote-control software.
- Local Network permission determines whether an app can discover and connect to devices on your home or office network, like a smart-home hub.
Full Disk Access and Accessibility are two of the most powerful permissions macOS offers — only grant them to apps you trust completely, since both allow far broader access than camera or microphone permission does.
Why it matters
Permissions like Full Disk Access and Accessibility grant an app extremely broad power over your Mac — far beyond what camera or microphone access allows — so understanding and periodically auditing them is one of the more consequential privacy habits you can build. Automation permission specifically governs whether apps can silently control each other, which is powerful for legitimate scripting and productivity tools but also a route malicious software could exploit if left unchecked. Local Network permission matters increasingly as smart-home and IoT devices multiply, since it determines what your Mac can discover on the network around it. Because many of these permissions are granted once and then forgotten, revisiting them occasionally catches access that's no longer needed.
Best practices
- Grant Full Disk Access only to apps you trust completely, like a well-known backup, security, or system-utility tool.
- Review Accessibility permissions periodically, since this category effectively allows an app to see and control your Mac the way you do.
- Revoke Automation access between apps you no longer use together, especially script-based tools you tried once and abandoned.
- Be selective with Local Network permission for apps that don't have an obvious reason to discover nearby devices.
- Restart an app (or your Mac, for Full Disk Access changes) after adjusting a permission if the change doesn't seem to apply right away.
Common problems and fixes
- An app that needs Full Disk Access still can't read certain files after being granted permission.
- Quit and reopen the app completely — some apps, and Full Disk Access specifically, only apply the new permission after a fresh launch or a Mac restart.
- A script or automation stopped working after a macOS update.
- Reopen Privacy & Security → Automation and confirm the sending and receiving apps are both still checked, since major updates occasionally reset these pairings.
- An app requests Accessibility access and it's unclear whether it's legitimate.
- Only grant Accessibility access if you recognize and trust the app's purpose (like a window manager or remote-control tool), and research unfamiliar apps before approving, since this permission allows broad control over your Mac.
- A smart-home or IoT app can't find devices on the network.
- Check Privacy & Security → Local Network and confirm the app is allowed, since macOS blocks local network discovery by default until an app is explicitly granted access.
Tips and tricks
- Search 'Full Disk Access' or 'Automation' directly in System Settings' search bar to jump straight to that permission category.
- When in doubt about an unfamiliar app requesting Accessibility or Full Disk Access, deny it initially — you can always grant it later if a genuine feature turns out to need it.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Full Disk Access and regular file permissions?
Regular Files & Folders permission is scoped to specific folders (like Desktop or Documents) that an app requests individually, while Full Disk Access grants broad access to nearly everything on the disk, including other apps' protected data.
Why does an app need Accessibility permission just to work with keyboard shortcuts?
Apps that create custom keyboard shortcuts, window-snapping tools, or remote-control features generally need Accessibility access because that's the system-level mechanism macOS uses to let an app observe or simulate input on your behalf.
Can I see a full list of every app with Full Disk Access at once?
Yes, Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access shows the complete list of granted apps in one place, making it a good starting point for a periodic permissions review.
Related settings
- Privacy & SecurityThe Privacy & Security settings pane is the central hub for controlling app permissions, FileVault encryption, Gatekeeper protections, Lockdown Mode, and analytics sharing — essentially every major security and data-access decision on your Mac in one place.
- Camera & Microphone PrivacyPrivacy & Security settings let you review and control exactly which apps are allowed to use your Mac's camera and microphone, so you always know what has access to audio and video.
- Login Items & ExtensionsLogin Items & Extensions settings control which apps and documents open automatically when you log in, plus which system extensions — like Finder add-ons, sharing options, and background helper processes — are allowed to run.
More Privacy & Security guides for macOS
- FileVault Disk EncryptionFileVault encrypts the entire startup disk on your Mac, so your data stays protected even if the device is lost or stolen. Only someone with your password or recovery key can unlock and read the disk.
- Activation Lock (Find My Mac)Activation Lock automatically protects your Mac the moment Find My Mac is turned on, requiring your Apple Account password or device passcode before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the Mac, or reactivate it after an erase — making a lost or stolen Mac far less useful to whoever has it.
- Location ServicesManage system-wide Location Services and grant or deny individual apps and system features permission to use your Mac's estimated location.
- Full Disk AccessAuthorize specific apps, usually backup, security, or automation tools, to read protected locations across your entire disk that are normally off-limits.
- Screen Recording PermissionControl which apps are allowed to record or capture the contents of your screen, a permission required by screen-sharing, recording, and streaming tools.
- Apple AdvertisingTurn Personalized Ads on or off to control whether Apple uses your activity within its own apps, like the App Store and News, to show more relevant advertising.